Your Right to Know

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama told a nondenominational gathering of political leaders
yesterday that freedom of religion across the world is important to national security and is a
central tenet of U.S. diplomacy.

Speaking at the annual National Prayer Breakfast, Obama cast his message as an international
call for human rights, singling out countries that he said have fallen short, particularly in
extending protections and freedoms to all faiths.

He said some of that diplomacy is not comfortable, especially when dealing with nations that are
strategically and economically important to the United States, such as China.

When meeting with Chinese leaders, he said, “I stress that realizing China’s potential rests on
upholding universal rights, including for Christians and Tibetan Buddhists and Uighur Muslims.”

In the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, he added, “we have made clear that lasting
peace will require freedom of worship and access to holy sites for all faiths.”

“More broadly, I’ve made the case that no society can truly succeed unless it guarantees the
rights of all of its peoples, including religious minorities, whether they are Ahmadia Muslims in
Pakistan or Baha’is in Iran or Coptic Christians in Egypt,” Obama said.

Obama also offered prayers for Kenneth Bae, a U.S. missionary being held in North Korea, and
Saeed Abedini, an Idaho pastor who is in custody in Iran.

Bae was arrested in November 2012 in North Korea while leading a tour group. He was sentenced to
15 years of hard labor for unspecified anti-government activity. Supporters say he did nothing
wrong.

Abedini, who is of Iranian origin, has been held since September 2012 and is serving an
eight-year sentence after being convicted of trying to establish a network of Christian churches in
private homes.

Obama and other attendees gave a standing ovation to the president’s fellow Hawaiian, pro surfer
Bethany Hamilton, after she described how God transformed the loss of her arm from a shark attack
into something “totally amazing” by giving her the ability to inspire others.